Thursday, January 31, 2013

JoAnne picked up two of the Home of the Brave quilts from Cindy, the longarm quilter, and promptly took them home and sewed the binding on. But the handstitching part bothers her hands sometimes so she told me she had some 'work' for me. YAY! I thought I was going to have to do all of the binding stuff but only the handstitching? Man, did I ever get off easy!! Now we're gonna have to slow down on our charity quilting for a little bit because (poor) Cindy is leaving for Tahiti....awww, poor poor Cindy! But she better get lots of rest and relaxtion while she's away cause we're gonna load her down when she gets back! LOL No, we really appreciate her willingness to help us in our charitable endeavor.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Is this 'setting' starting to look familiar? Do you think I like soup?!! Well, you'd be right if you answered yes to both questions. Our ingredient of the week from Judy L was TOFU! And when she posted, I knew JUST what I was going to make. I LOVE hot and sour soup but have never made it myself, only eating it out at oriental restaurants. So I searched my favorite, go-to recipe site and found a recipe that was minimalist in the ingredient dept. I made it this evening (sans cabbage) and while it was OK, it didn't taste like the same soup I eat in the restaurants. Maybe it just didn't have enough ingredients! HA So, while this doesn't get 5 stars (or maybe even 4) from me, this is the recipe I used. I may try one of the other, ingredient-ladened recipes from the site since I have tofu, green onions and mushrooms left over. And I promise, I'll get a different tablecloth on before the next picture-taking session.

Monday, January 28, 2013

jWell, I said I wouldn't post this again til it was a flimsy and now it is! I just need to get a back together for it and off to the longarmer. Not sure where this one will wind up but it's always good to have a few in the church quilt closet ready to go when the need arises.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

I snagged this photo from my bud, JoAnne's, blog. I know I showed it before but then it didn't have it's borders and it wasn't quilted. I took it with me to the last meeting at church, JoAnne put the borders on and then dropped it along with a few HOB's to our friend Cindy, who'd graciously offered to quilt our donation quilts (don't think she knew what she was getting into...HA). JoAnne picked it up the other day and put the binding on. Is that team work or what? We'll wait til we have a few more QOVs, which is what this one is, before sending to Alycia. I just wish the joined areas in the strips were a little more spread out. Guess I didn't do a very good job of following the instructions. Oh well, what's new?

Three more pillowcases done today and I think I have 3 more of the blocks (shown twice earlier) to finish to have enough to put a top together. I probably have enough novelty squares cut for a couple more tops but I'm sure I'll get bored with it before I get two more done. I've already pulled out some patriotic fab to make some more blocks for a QOV quilt (even though I STILL haven't put the final borders on the last one!!). I am SO BAD and big-time ADD where my quilting comes in.

But the beautiful weather outside beckons so I must go play OUTSIDE--we're supposed to have 70's today and tomorrow then Fri. will be back down in the 50's again. I can stay in and sew when it's in the 50's!! HA

Monday, January 21, 2013

Not much accomplished today as I was out geocaching again with the rugrats. Hit a milestone--my 800th find! I know most of you have no clue what I'm talking about but if at all interested, you can check it out here. Don't ask me why, but I really enjoy it and it gets me out and about, often to places I never would've discovered otherwise. I think I mentioned that I'd cut some pillowcases while at the church the other day and I managed to get three done today using the sausage pillowcase method (search youtube, you'll find it!). Off to play bunco here in a little bit.

Just wondering if anyone is able to upload pictures to their blog using the 'old' way? I find it cumbersome to have to go in through the html to do it. Sure would like to go back to the easier way of doing it. Please let me know if you can and how you do it! Thanks!!

Sunday, January 20, 2013

What's the saying--'slow and steady wins the race'? Don't think I'll ever win any races but hopefully will get er done eventually. I'm thinking either 5X6 or 6X7 (blocks are 10.5" unfinished) with a 5" border will be a great kid size..what do you think? Won't make you suffer with it everytime I get a few more blocks done. Next time will be when it's a flimsy.

This week in Judy's "What's for dinner" weekly 'challenge', our ingredient is creamed corn. I'm with Judy-don't particularly like it plain out of the can but I do SO LOVE the creamed corn at Babe's Fried Chicken (I think only around these parts, that being north central Texas). And it's good used in lots of dishes. I chose to make corn fritters..something I used to make with some regularity but haven't made in I don't remember how long. This is the recipe I've always used and it's just as easy to link to it here as to type out my recipe! HA SO YUMMY with the syrup on top.

Saturday, January 19, 2013

I went to our church quilting group on Thurs. and brought home several things to work on. Guess we're only meeting once a month in the upcoming year and we don't seem to get much accomplished in that one meeting a month. If it weren't for lots of home sewing, don't know that we'd really have anything to show for our efforts. I took a pretty good sized bag of novelty fabric bits and pieces to make a quilt (or two or three) out of blocks like this. Nothing had been done with it since I took it up there so I spent a good part of the day on Thurs. cutting more squares of the novelties and then brought them home. I took my little rugrat nephews out geocaching today and once I got home, did a little bit of sewing. I think these will be so cute in the quilts and will hopefully make some little kids happy.

I also cut some red, white and blue fabric into pieces to make some QOV blocks using the same style as the HOB blocks. They're just such a forgiving block as they're made big and trimmed to 12 1/2". Also cut enough for 9 (I think) patriotic sausage pillowcases to be sent when we send the next batch of QOVs to Alycia

Friday, January 18, 2013

Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Still slowly but surely..four more 'holes' to fill in then a row or two to stitch and this baby will be just about finished. WOW!! Never in my wildest would I ever have thought I would be so close to finishing so soon (soon for me!). Just need to kick myself to keep on cause I don't want it to end up like so many others--so close yet so far.

OK, OK, I know this is NOTHING compared to what many of you across the country have gotten, are getting and continue to get. But our weatherman failed to warn us that we would wake up to find this on the ground this morning!! Yuck, yuck, yuck!! Have I said before how much I HATE cold and anything associated with it? I was BORN to live on a tropical island!! HA

SO since I don't live in the tropics, I'll just take this as a sign that I need to stay inside where it's much more like a balmy island (well OK, not so much but it IS warmer!!) than it is outside and SEW!!

Monday, January 14, 2013

WHOA!! You never know what you're gonna find when you're actually diggin' around for something else! HA I was working on an Easy Street block (singular!!) and borders on a QOV (semi-done) and for quite some time have been looking at pieces for blocks that lay on top of my machine. I thought I knew where the completed blocks were along with the magazine that has the pattern in it. I went in search of those but could not find them. They must be in my closet on the shelf with many other WIP's. Did not check there but DID find this UFO. Have NO CLUE how long ago this was started but the center was in three pieces and the borders were already pieced. So I got the center together and two of the borders on. Maybe I'll get the other two borders on today and then there's a checkerboard border that's the final border and much of that is done but still needs quite a bit. I'm not even that crazy for 30's fabrics anymore but it's nice to find one so near to completion that it's doable! YAY!!

YIKES, is it cold out this morning (I know, it's all relative depending on where you live)!! I peeked out the back window and saw a little bit of white stuff on the lawn. There was a cushion close to the door and it caught my eye so had to go check it out.

It almost looked like very small styrofoam-type packing pellets. Snow pellets. Not much, just a little but something different. Fortunately doesn't look like this type of 'snow' will cause any problems on the street.

This week, Judy L said our ingredient for her "What's Cooking" project would be spinach. I immediately knew what I was gonna make--Zuppa Toscana style soup. When it's this cold (I know, I'm a weenie), soup or chili are the first things I think about. I have been a faithful follower/user of allrecipes.com for a LONG time now. So many good recipes and reviews on there. This soup is no exception. I alternately use spinach or kale and really like either one though I'm pretty sure OG uses kale in theirs. MAN, was it good!!!

Saturday, January 12, 2013

Well, this was my quiltathon 'progress' yesterday. HA!! Four measly blocks but at least it's kinda better than nothing. I just finished up making homemade hand cream and homemade laundry detergent from Judy L's blog (you can find the links a little ways down on her right sidebar). Both easy and pretty quick to make. I'll let you know how much I like them after I've been using them awhile. NOW I plan on getting more of these blocks made as well as more blocks for Easy Street and (maybe) a border on the first QOV (I keep sayin' that and it keeps NOT happening!!).

Friday, January 11, 2013

I don't like to sew at night but need something to keep my hands and mind occupied. Mostly it's crochet. I like to make little baby hats for the county hospital and that is totally mindless crochet for me. I downloaded a pattern (free no less) on Craftsy called Mindless Scarf--LOVE it! I got some really soft yarn the other day at Joann when the yarn was 25% off and then I had a coupon good for 25% off my entire purchase. SCORE!!

Really like the way it's coming out. Not sure if I'll wind up keeping it for myself or gifting it.

Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Last week, Judy said our 'ingredient of the week' was carrots and we were supposed to make something with the carrots (I guess something new, never tried in our household before or maybe just a carrot fav). Since it has been so cold here and I freeze anytime the temps fall below 60, I'd been wanting to try a soup I found on my favorite, go to place when I'm looking for new recipes. This soup sounded pretty good and easy so I gave it a whirl. I did not blend most of the soup, just a little to beef it up a little. While it was OK, I would say not a big fav so probably wouldn't make it again. I should've just make the 'boiled dinner' that I like really well with kielbasa, cabbage, potatoes and carrots. Now that is YUMMY!! I'd even toyed with what Ava made, the carrot raisin salad but when Chick Fil A is less than 5 min. from the house and theirs is the BEST, why bother grating all those carrots?!! HAHA

I also went to quilt group at church today. I had intended to get two more HOB tops assembled but it took me the whole time to just get one done. And that was sewing the whole time, not taking any time for idle chit chat. So JoAnne was going to drop them by our friend Cindy's, who'd offered to do the longarming pro bono. Can't beat that offer!! We had 3 HOB tops and a jelly roll race top that will go to QOV. YAY! A productive day, I'd say. But Judy, I AM getting tired of the rain already. I want sunny skies and warm days (which it sounds like we'll get for a day or two..BAH).

Sunday, January 6, 2013

Saturday, January 5, 2013

Yesterday was my birthday but I did not celebrate by choice. At this point, I still see nothing to celebrate. So instead, I spent the day sewing on mostly donation projects. I did do a little bit of putting a couple of units together for Bonnie Hunter's Easy Street mystery but no photos til I get a little farther along. I did get the center of my New Year's Day QOV-along (designed by Judy L) put together and now just intend to add a gold inner border and probably a blue print outer border. I really like it and plans are to get another couple of very similar quilts done before too much time passes. Alycia does such a wonderful job collecting and distributing these quilts to our brave fighting men and women.

This is a baby quilt done jelly roll race style that was going to be headed for the teen mom cottage I talked about in the last post. But I found out that another group had already donated quilts for the cottage (lapse in communication, I suppose). Don't want to 'over give' in the quilt department so will hold onto these quilts--a need will arise and these will be ready and waiting.

On a terribly sad note, my Oklahoma Sooners lost to those creepy Aggies and their freshman sensation, Johnny Manziel! UGH! You'd think the Sooners could've worked harder to give me a Cotton Bowl win for my birthday!!!! But NO! Creeps.

Tuesday, January 1, 2013

The past year has been absolutely the worst year of my life and I've seriously wondered what could possibly be left for me to do here. My kids are grown and have their own lives going on (which leaves little time for me and that's understandable--I was there once) and I never hear from my one & only granddaughter (she IS 16 now!!). I did Thanksgiving but then bowed out after that. Went to church the Sunday after Thanksgiving and haven't been back. I just had no desire to have anything whatsoever to do with Christmas, the joyfulness, the celebrating, gift-giving, the thankfulness. It just wasn't there. And now I'm faced with a new year. Last year at this time, my dear hubby was still with me and, at that time, we thought he was doing well. We were looking forward to a cruise that was just a month away. I still have to face a few more holidays, dates, etc. that was our last together. But thank God Christmas is behind me.

I've been doing some sewing and crocheting just because there's been a LOT of alone time (by my
choice) and got my friend, JoAnne, involved in making a few quilts for a teen mom cottage at a
nearby shelter/orphanage for kids in need. The organization is opening a cottage that will house four teen moms and their babies so the need is for 4 adult and 4 baby quilts. JoAnne got started well after me but has posted on her blog that she already has one adult quilt top finished and she's now working
on the baby quilt! Just so no one thinks I've been a slacker, I thought I better post what I've gotten done thru the month of December.

This is one of my adult quilts but I think I'm going to have to add another row of zig zag (maybe a 1/2 row on either end since I think it would look unbalanced the way I've got the color placement). I'm thinking the baby quilt will just be stripes in the same colors. The other is a big bowtie, same bright colors.

I've also been working on Bonnie's mystery and am pretty much up to speed but now just need to work on the final assembly. That'll wait for a bit since I'm working on Judy's New Year's Day Sit & Sew QOV.

I had gone up to my church a few weeks ago and raided our quilt closet looking for bright colors for the quilts. There wasn't much of what I was looking for but did come across some Home of the Brave blocks needing assembly and that led to putting two tops together. You've seen many of these before on my blog so decided not to take them off the hangar.

AND I've been doing some crocheting. Three baby hats, 2 small hats and a scarf. So my solitary time has not been unproductive.

Oh gosh, I almost forgot the baby rag quilt I finished!! I have two more cut out and two more sets waiting to be cut. I had also intended to get a few pillowcases finished up before our next quilt group meets at church (the 9th, I believe...we'll see).